22.8.2012

Due to the price of this I would start off by saying that this pump is only worth it if money is no object or if you plan on exclusively expressing your milk ~(i.e. not breastfeeding but needing to feed baby solely on your milk). I have used the Swing pump and this too is very effective and is all that is needed if you are also breastfeeding.The double pump has made it so that I am able to still feed my baby breast milk, even though I am unable to breastfeed. The fact that it is a double pump means that it takes half the time to pump, which is a life saver when needing to express in the middle of the night or when you're out.Looking at the hands free side of things,I didn't bother to use the straps that come with this, so I can't comment. I used my old nursing sleep bras - I made a small hole at each nipple area and I detach the shield from the expresser and feed the expresser through the hole and then pop the shield back on, this holds the shields close to your breast as if you were holding them. This allows for hands free where I can apply some hand compressions to the breast if I am in a rush to get the milk out. The battery is great because it works in a way that you can have it connected to the wall (where it will also charge), but it is also just as easy to use the battery and clip the machine on to your jeans where you can get on with chores around the house, rather then having to be plugged in and sat down - this is important when having to pump every 2-3 hours for 20 mins.A few things that makes this machine better then the swing and that I love is that there is a timer on this pump, with the swing I never knew quite how long I had done it for. Also, the valves work differently on the expressers, which I think makes a lot of difference for the comfort and ease of expressing - when I used the swing, if milk built up in the breast shield part it would quickly go straight in to the tubes which was incredibly annoying, as you would have to turn off the machine, and stop pumping until you had cleaned and waited for the tubes to dry, it is also unsanitary. With these new valves milk getting in to the tubes is virtually impossible, It hasn't happened to me yet, which means no needing to stop in the middle of a pumping session and no cleaning tubes (this also eliminates the possibility of milk getting in to the machine and damaging it). The valves are also very easy to clean because of this. This pump comes with a few extras - 1. Medela Calma Solitaire which is great for bottle feeding your breastfed baby, as baby uses the same latch technique for this teat as they do the breast. 2. Medela Cooler Bag with 4 Bottles, although not the teats. This makes it easier to pump away from home and keep milk fresh (this bag could then go in the fridge at work without no one seeing your liquid gold. 3. Medela hand bag. This is great for keeping all your pumping equipment and bottles in the area when going out.The 4 medela bottles that come with this are fine for me as I do not have alot of milk (they fit 6 ounces in each), but I would have thought they may be a bit small for other woman, I would suggest ordering the bigger bottles if you have a lot of milk. I have seen some woman comment on the bottles leaking, they will leak slightly if the bottles are full and you tip your body forward enough for the milk to come out the top. The only way to work with this is to either by bigger bottles to allow some tipping forward or do something around the house that does not require tipping forward.If you use a personal fit breast shield, not to worry, these expressers allow for this and will fit on fine.This pump pulls milk out of the breast very efficiently. I have used a hospital grade pump and I would say this is more similar to the hospital grade then the swing. When I was using the swing pump I would need to spend 20 mins on each breast and apply hand compressions the whole way through to empty my breast, with this pump I still use it for 20 mins on each (but am able to at the same time) but I do not need to use hand compressions to empty my breasts, so I am able to play with my baby or get on with chores.

24.4.2013

This pump has been an absolute essential since our little one arrived 8 weeks early. We've recently sat and considered the cost:value of a lot of the baby items we've bought over the last few months and this comes out top of the list by a long way. It has helped my wife maintain her milk supply while he was in hospital, it meant that she didn't have to wait for the shared pump on the ward when we were visiting and, when we came home, the battery pack meant she could get on with life while expressing. Most importantly, it has meant that our little one has been able to have breast milk from birth, a huge advantage considering he was born too early to breast-feed.The pump itself is simple to use.Plug in the adapter to charge the battery, plug in the vacuum hose and attach the actual pumps and you're ready to go. The battery is good for about 3 hours of pumping before it's flat. The small size means that it is actually reasonably portable. Its not quiet though, so while you can take it places you will be heard! There are 9 levels of user-adjustable suction and it uses two phases, the first to stimulate milk letdown and the second to extract as much milk as possible. These phases work well and can be over-ridden if you just want to get on with things.It's a double pump which is a big benefit , essentially halving the time needed to express. That said, it only really works well if you use it with a "pumping bra" to hold everything in place - without this, you quickly run out of hands and it doesn't matter how portable/mobile the device is...There are different sized breast shields for this pump - it comes supplied with "medium" sized funnels. My wife found the mediums reasonably useful, but we ordered a set of the "small" size and this improved the amount she could express by quite a lot. A few months on and the medium sized ones are now giving better results, so it might be useful if they supplied a couple of sets of shields - especially considering the price.Cleaning the pump is simple - the business ends disassemble easily for washing and sterilising. Even better, they are dishwasher safe, so you can put them on the top rack of the dishwasher and use them straight away.Other items in this kit include a handbag/changing bag which my wife really likes and uses more often than the bugaboo changing bag that we bought separately. It also comes with an insulated bottle carrier, complete with a contoured freezer-pack to fit the shape of the bottles and keep things cool in the heat. It's supplied with a couple of bottles for pumping and 4 150ml medela bottles and lids, plus a Calma teat. We've not had much success with the calma teat but the bottles work great with the Dr Browns Preemie teats and free-flow inserts, holding more milk than the Dr Browns preemie bottles.In terms of performance then, it's brilliant. We wouldn't have been without it and my wife thinks it would be really hard to find something better - even after using the machines available in the hospital. High praise indeed. For perfoemance, this pump gets 5 stars.Looking at this package as a whole, I'm not sure the add-ons justify the steep price though. To my mind the whole bundle would have been significantly improved with the inclusion of a pumping bra as without it you really don't get the benefit of it being a double pump. For that, and the fact that different sized breast shields are an expensive extra, it loses a star.

12.10.2015

I really like this pump. It comes with a handy bag to carry everything in. It has four 5oz bottles, though they actually fit 6oz in, one calma teat though the bottle lids allow for the use of standard teats. The pump itself comes with a battery, (read instructions on charging and removal of battery) which boasts lasting 3 hours before needing to be recharged. This was a problem with my previous pump, the unit didn't recharge so I would be regularly replacing the batteries and carried the wall plug with me just in case. I usually pump for around 10 minutes at each breast and being a double pump cuts time in half. When I am at work I often use the medela handsfree 'easy expression bustier'so that I can eat my lunch whilst I'm pumping. Or before I leave, I clip the pump to my trousers and can iron my son's school uniform and get myself ready, type up an email, I'm not in a rush yet confined to the sofa. It is not extremely quiet, so for people who know I'm breastfeeding it may not be so subtle from the next room when it turn it up a few levels but in comparison to my avent pump it's not nearly as loud. What I did like with my single avent was that it had covers for the cone shaped part that you place on your breast and the attachment to the bottle/collection tub. This meant it was sterile ready to be used. I use a small square sistema lunch tub as everything fits in there nice and air tight, just pull the breast cones off the rest (built ready to go). Have the bottles in the cool bag with the special ice pack and it all fits nicely in the bag. It also has a front pocket I use for my phone, keys, diary etc.I still use the avent storage tubs to store longterm as they are a lot cheaper, stack in the freezer and my daughter drinks out of them as cups (would be great for storing a drink if going out so we can miss out the tippy cup stage) and for storing home made baby food. Having more milk than I need in the freezer is a real comfort that she will always have food.Everything fits in my avent steriliser and I can't see why it wouldn't fit in any other brand, they are not overly obscure or large pieces. Medela recommend boiling their products but mine seem to aquire a cloudy coating if I boil.Ensure the space that attaches to the tubing is dry before use or the tubing will suck in any moisture.The only thing I am annoyed with is that I had to replace the part that the breast cone slides into as it cracked, don't know for certain this wasn't my son's doing but I've never forced the parts together or been rough enough to expect any damage.The pump does two minutes of shorter suction to induce let down but you can override if you let down before this or switch back to it at anytime. It's nice to have the timer as I know how long it's taking me to express how much.I have the calma teats for when I'm not around to feed her as it's not free flowing like most bottles and means they don't loose their suck and like when on the breast have complete control of the flow and can rest. Introducing the bottle was difficult, no matter how similar to the breast any company tries to make their plastic teats they are not breasts. She will now take the bottle well though; with a little persistence.Anything else you want to know I might have missed, please ask. It's a great but of kit, made continuing breast feeding so much easier which is really important to me.

19.3.2013

Before the birth of my daughter, I had purchased a single Tommee Tippee electric pump, but due to various feeding problems I needed to express with more frequency. I've found the Freestyle ideal for expressing multiple times a day. Used in conjunction with a pumping bustier I can have my hands completely free if I need to tend to baby or work.I find the '2-phase' expression modes much better at stimulating my let down than either the Tommee Tippee or the electric hospital pump - the fast, shallow sucks of the let-down mode trigger my let down in less than a minute, and now that I know which settings work best it's just one touch of a button to set the pump to the right time switch and levels for me.If I am in memory mode and need to adjust my saved routine (eg if I am feeling tender that time) this is as simple as adjusting the settings normally, and won't override the saved routine for future sessions unless set to. The backlight is useful for expressing at night without having to light up the whole bedroom, and the motor is reasonably quiet (although of course gets louder the higher the setting).I found the pump very easy to assemble and disassemble, and a lot less bulky than my single pump. The cool bag has been useful if going visiting relatives and needing to pump there or transport EBM, and I would imagine would be ideal if the pump was being used at work. I haven't used the Calma teat as we already have a set of bottles that our daughter is able to feed well from, s o I cannot comment on that.The pump came with medium sized breast shields, but I found that although my breasts are DD/E sized these were too big and too much of my breast & areola were being pulled into the shields, causing some pinching and discomfort. Medela's PersonalFit system means that I was able to replace these (at extra cost) with smaller breast shields, which are much more comfortable. Since doing so I manage to express the same amount of milk in a 3rd of the time than with either the single pump or the larger breast shields. Expressing is now so comfortable that I sometimes forget I'm doing it! Luckily the pump automatically switches off after 30mins of no adjustments to settings!I did have a problem after 3 days of using this pump, in that it stopped switching on. Thankfully Medela customer support and Amazon were really helpful, and after troubleshooting over the phone I was advised that I had received a faulty motor unit and to return it to Amazon for a replacement - the replacement arrived the next day and has been going strong for over a week.The only things I'd change about this pump are a) a way to measure what size breast shields you require and order them with the pump, instead of separately; and b) a way to pump both sides simultaneously but with different strengths. However these are minor niggles and do not detract from the overall experience of using the pump.

2.9.2013

I've recently had my second child and like so many other things, wish I'd got this first time. The pump promises a lot and in all the main areas, it delivers. Relatively quiet, efficient, easy to use and pretty comfortable. Although it isn't perfect, I've rated it 5*, because compared to a manual and an electric I've had before, plus numerous (very industrial!) models I've used in hospitals, this is far and away the best. It is easy to start up and the personal programme function is very handy. The suction seems to be just right and does feel pretty natural. It also comes with a handy bag and extra bottles (tho only 150ml size).My only gripes are1 - I've never understood why medela don't make comfort cushions like phillips,

5.9.2010

This pump is a Godsend. YES it is expensive. Yes it is a double, but WOW it is even better than the Medela Swing which I loved. They have redesigned the valves so cleaning and opening it up is something you can do in your sleep and the digital display is amazing. The expression phase has 9 levels so it is sure to stimulate your let down pretty fast and then the actual extraction phase also has 9 levels. REALLY good. First time I used it I collected 8 oz's in a few minutes.I have previously owned the Tommee Tippee electric single pump which gave me 2 ozs in 45 minutes and chewed up my nipples, the Medela Swing which is the best single pump on the market in my opinion,

26.7.2012

I purchased this pump almost 3 years ago when my daughter was born. Since she was 10 week premature she didn't know how to drink for another 2,5 months. I had no choice but getting into pumping every three hours for 3 months. While I was in the hospital I got used to the hospital pumps but when I started pumping with my Medela I never touched them again. Due to the different levels for stimulation and extraction phase you can adapt the suction power to your needs. I never had sore nipples nor was I ever in pain. The double pumping is such a time saver and on top you are not loosing any precious milk when you are pumping and stimulating one and not the other breast.

11.10.2013

My daughter has severe reflux and cows' milk protein allergy, which meant that she struggled to feed from me and gain weight. In discussion with her paediatrician I decided to express breastmilk and feed her with bottles to ensure she was getting enough to eat. I wanted to ultimately get back to feeding directly myself so needed to maintain my own supply. I had been feeding her a bottle of express milk and expressing the equivalent amount using a single electric pump. This meant I was chained to sofa for one hour in every 2 to feed her a bottle, then express the same amount. I have a toddler as well so this created a lot of chaos due to the destruction he causes when bored!

27.1.2014

This is a god send, the missus and myself love it. She can currently express as much as 150ml in the morning! With the bra she can do other things like get herself ready to go out while she expresses. The battery lasts a week easy so you're not tied to the wall while expressing or in fear of it running out in the middle.We tried a manual pump previously, but it's nothing on this.For us, this takes alot of stress out of breast feeding. Worth the extra money for the double pumping too. It also helps when working to increase milk production.The only slight niggle is the teat for the bottles is awful, apparently they spent alot of time researching it. Our son can't use it, it's too tough,

9.11.2013

I hated this pump on the first day I had it, and was about to send it back. This was because the suction wasn't as strong as my Pump-in-Style which was on its last legs after a few years of multiple daily pumps for three babies. However, the suction doesn't need to be as strong because it is much better at stimulating milk flow in the first place. YES, it sounds like a foghorn when it's on maximum suction, and YES, the parts which attach to the breastshields are fiddly and ridiculously overpriced. But I give it 5 stars because it gets the BEST YIELD OF ANY PUMP I'VE EVER USED. My only reservation is in regard to the pump's lifespan: in the manual it says it can pump for 250 hours.

6.5.2014

Our twin daughters were born 9 weeks early. So I had to express for them exclusively from the first 6 weeks. I used this pump several times a day, and it coped really well. I'm still using it 4 or 5 times a day, and it's like new. The whole kit that you get with this particular model was ideal for us. We used the insulated bottle bag (with a shaped freezer block) to transport my milk from home to the NICU. And when one of our daughters was transferred to a NICU unit in a different county I used the large bag to carry all my expressing equipment. I prefer this pump to the hospital's Symphony pump. It is noisy, but that doesn't put me off. We haven't used the Calma bottle at all,

19.5.2011

I ordered this item because I am expressing for my newborn as breastfeeding did not work. I had been using the avent electric pump which was brilliant but wanted to save time while expressing! This definitely did that! I used to get about 12 ounces in 30 minutes whereas now I can get 14 ounces in 13 minutes! The suction is great and is very comfortable to use. You get storage bottles and a cooler which is great.I would say that the handsfree is a bit tricky but once you've done it a couple of times its fine I might buy the halterneck top to use with it but this is not necessary just as I am expressing up to 5 times a day it would be handy!

29.4.2017

Medela are the best.... (but you pay the price)Bought the Medela Swing in the first place but clearly one breast at a time isn't quick enough especially if you are planning to express most of the time - Amazon have been brillant regarding the return.Given you do two breasts at a time it's twice faster - if not more. It takes between 12 and 17 min for my wife to express.Expressing is not the most pleasant thing but definitely less painful than actually breastfeeding. The machine is gentle on the breast and you can modulate the strength of it.The Calma teat works really well with us - love the fact that nothing will drop if he's not properly sucking: you can't overfeed your babyOne problem: one

22.6.2015

Excellent pump that makes breast pumping and bottle feeding possible.I have used a few different types of pumps and this out strips them all by a large margin.I have found that the pump had plenty of suction and I never go over the middle setting on strength, I was using full strength in the calypso swing pump and it wasn't sure sucky enough.The battery feature is excellent. I cut some wholes in a bra and can easily use the pump hands free. This meant a can pump and bottle feed simultaneously saving lots of time. It takes me around 15 mins to completely drain.The other advantage over other pumps is that the design is fairly flat meaning that you could pump fairly discreetly using a large top

22.4.2013

From early on I realised our breast feeding journey would not be a very straightforward one, baby's allergies and problems latching and mastitis led to a difficult time for both of us. I credit this breast pump (along with determination!) for keeping us breast feeding and managing to continue for 14 months!I ended up expressing after every feed so was expressing pretty much every 2-3 hours or so. I made my own pumping bra out of an old bra and this fab breast pump meant I was mobile to do so much. It meant that all that time pumping I could do other things like washing bottles, hoovering etc.I've pumped a lot in the car and this breast pump is fab for that and was a god send when I returned

Medela Freestyle Double Breast Pump - Reviews

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